Just realized how many guys are installing door locks wrong on modernizations
I was out on a service call yesterday at an office building in downtown Portland and found the door lock contacts were totally misaligned. The mechanic before me had the gap set at almost 1/4 inch too wide. You gotta check the manufacturer spec sheet, the gap needs to be 1/8 inch on most Otis models or the door won't seat right. How many of you actually pull out the manual or do you just wing it like the last guy?
Is it really that big of a deal though? I've been doing this for like 15 years and I've never touched a spec sheet for door gap. You gotta have some feel for it, right? If the door cycles smooth and the contacts line up, who cares if its 1/8 or 1/4 inch? I bet half the time the manual is for a different revision anyway. You sure the old guy wasn't just making it work for the building's worn out frame?
Door gaps don't need to be perfect, the lock just needs to work and the door needs to close tight. You're overthinking a spec that doesn't matter in a building with sagging frames.